O-G discusses adding minutes to school day

TRACI L. WEISENBACH, Tribune Staff Writer

Published 7:00 pm, Monday, December 21, 2009

OWENDALE— Some other local school districts are adding time to their daily schedule to cut back on the number of school days for the year to save money. The Owendale-Gagetown Area School District is considering the same move.

At its regular meeting Monday, the board heard from Superintendent Dana Compton how much the district would save if it added 21 minutes to each school day, starting in January. For secondary school students, this would add four minutes to each class period during the school day. By adding 21 minutes to each day, the district could cut five days off of its school year.

Comptonsaid such a move would save secretary, custodial and transportation costs, along with utility costs. If the district takes five days off in February — typically the coldest month of the year — the district can save about $900 a day, Compton said. If the five days are taken off at the end of the school year, the district could save about $650 to $700.

Comptonsaid this school year, the state is allowing districts to change their calendars as a cost-cutting measure, and the calendar change can last for the 2009-10 and 2010-11 school years. After that, any district that makes a calendar change now would have to start adding days back into their schedules, which would mean shortening each school day.

He said the board has time to consider the measure, so the board tabled the matter until a future meeting.

In other discussion regarding cost-cutting, Compton said he recently met with representatives from the Huron Intermediate School District business office. The HISD will start taking over some of the Owen-Gage business office duties, including accounts receivable, accounts payable and payroll. The transition will take place in January upon the retirement of Liz Roemer, who has been with the district for a couple of decades.

Comptonsaid having the HISD take care of business operations will save Owen-Gage $8,000 to $12,000 the first year. After that, the savings likely will increase.

In other discussion during the meeting, Compton talked about Race to the Top (RTTT) funding from the federal government. Michigan could receive as much as $400 million in RTTT funding, as long as the state follows specific quality guidelines. The state legislature is working on approving legislation that includes various educational reforms to allow the state to apply for the funding in January. A few of the reform examples include allowing more charter schools in the state, linking teacher evaluations directly with state assessment scores and allowing for alternative paths to teacher certification.

Comptonsaid if the state would receive $400 million, Owen-Gage would receive up to $19,000 to $20,000. He said this number is likely to change, but if it does change, it most likely would be less. He said the money would come with plenty of strings attached, similar to the federal stimulus money school districts are receiving for at-risk and special education students. The RTTT money only would be able to be used to supplement existing programs, rather than start new ones.

Comptonasked the board to sign a Memorandum of Understanding that would allow the district to be able to receive RTTT funds. He said if the memorandum is not signed by the board, the district would not be eligible to receive this funding. However, he said by signing the memorandum, the district could be obligating itself to things it isn’t aware of yet.

He said from what he understands, if the board later decides it does not want RTTT funding for whatever reason, the district can back out. It would need to give a reason why it is backing out, he added.

Comptonsaid no official action was needed by the board regarding the memorandum, but he hoped it could be signed by the board president so the district could become eligible for the funding.

The board did not discuss the matter any further.

Comptonalso talked to the board about federal stimulus dollars, of which the district has received $52,754 for special education students. He said so far, the money has been approved for the purchase of laptops and elementary and junior high hands-on science kits. He said the funding also has been approved for building improvements that will create more room for school personnel to work with special education students on a one-by-one basis.

Also during Monday’s meeting, the board heard a report from Compton about a possible basketball schedule change in the North Central Thumb League (NCTL). The idea is to have girls basketball games on Tuesdays and Thursdays and boys basketball games on Wednesdays and Fridays. This would start in the 2010-11 school year. Compton said he didn’t see much of a difference between changing the schedule or keeping it the same as it is now. He said, though, that districts should be thinking outside the box regarding saving on athletic transportation costs. He said it would be helpful if districts within the same county could join in on transportation costs, even if they are in a different league. For instance, he said if Bad Axe Public Schools was headed to a competition within 10 miles of a competition in which Owen-Gage was participating, the two schools could look at sharing transportation.

In personnel matters, the board accepted the resignation of Patty Rogers, Title I paraprofessional. Rogers has been with the district for 14 years, Compton said, and she has been instrumental in a variety of extra activities, such as Muffins with Mom. She also was an integral part of the school’s Accelerated Reader program. Rogers is taking a position with a local hospital.